Commission Turns Down Plan for Shotgun House

By Olin Ericksen
Staff Writer

May 17 -- The saga of a more than century-old “shotgun shack” with no place to call home continues after Recreation and Park Commissioners last week sided with gardeners who said they were more interested in maintaining more plots in their Main Street community garden than preserving the historic landmark.

By a 4 to 3 vote, commissioners rejected the site adjacent to the community garden for the three room prefabricated home, which a group of local residents say is the last of its kind in Santa Monica.

An alternative backed by the commission was to recommend relocating the house -- which is currently being stored at Santa Monica Airport -- to Heritage Square on Main Street, not far from its original site.

“It’s just a recommendation, but we approved it unanimously,” said Commissioner Neil Carrey, who voted against the site. “We feel Heritage Square would better suit it, but the final decision is not up to us.”

Dubbed a “”shotgun” house because one could theoretically fire a shotgun through without hitting a wall, the house has remained in storage since it was uprooted nearly three years ago to avoid development at its old site at 2712 Second Street.

After hearing from several disgruntled green thumbs opposed to relocating the old wooden structure to their garden plots, even if it was used as a tool shed, and with demand for more space growing in the community garden, a majority of the commissioners agreed to nip the proposed site location in the bud.

“The gardeners didn’t want the house,” Carrey said. “I realize that some people feel very strongly about its historical landmark status and that it should be saved… but the fact is that there is growing waiting list of people who want to use the gardens, and they want to keep all available space open for future plots”

A small group of local residents from the Ocean Park Community Organization (OPCO) have been fighting to find the house a permanent location, but have hit a series of successive dead ends.

A major obstacle, said Carrey, is that it may cost nearly $500,000 to plant the house at a permanent location, including maintenance and foundation work. That’s a tab many in the City may not want to pick up for the house, he said.

“I don’t feel one way or another about the house as a historical property,” said Carrey. “ My biggest reason against it is where the money is going to come from.”

Members of OPCO said at the meeting they have received pledges up to $250,000 to invest in the house, but Carrey said he was leery the group had received such support.

Absent such private backing, the City would have to pay the costs if the house is moved to property owned and run by the City, such as the community gardens on Main Street.

“If it goes on City property, the City has to pay for it,” said Carrey.

The "shotgun" house may again move before July, since its home at the Airport is slated for development.

Commissioners approved Fisher Lumber, at Colorado Avenue and 16th Street, which recently went out of business, as a new temporary site.